Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Heidi Ledford discusses new research which is helping to identify genetic risk factors for long COVID - though the fact that new COVID-19 variants are being allowed to run wild while that work is in its infancy means that people will be exposed to readily-avoidable suffering. Jennifer La Grassa and Lauren Pelley reports on the National Advisory Committee on Immunization's recommendation that Canadians continue to be vaccinated. But the announcement that university-based wastewater monitoring is being abandoned - leaving any continued reporting to politically-controlled bodies which have shown they're more interested in normalizing transmission than protecting public health - makes it all too likely that Saskatchewan residents will fail to do what they can and should to protect their communities. 

- Patrick Rail interviews Armine Yalnizyan about the grim reality that the Bank of Canada is looking to raise interest rates for the sole purpose of causing pain to the general public. 

- Arielle Samuelson and Emily Atkin write about the oil companies laughing all the way to the bank while the world burns due to the use of their products. Melissa Rossi discusses the eminently-desirable principle underlying 15-minute cities which has been subjected to ritual denunciation as a fossil fuel propaganda point. And Rosa Saba reports on the work being done to turn the availability of outdoor patio space into a normal expectation rather than a perceived aberration. 

- Finally, Cory Doctorow discusses how U.S. Democrats shut off their greatest grassroots operation in modern history in favour of governance by triangulating establishmentarians - and how the result has been predictably disastrous both in terms of electoral outcomes and policy effects. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cats with friends.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Joseph Puthussery et al. study the feasibility of real-time, location-based air sampling to identify the presence of COVID-19, while Jennifer La Grassa reports on the efforts of scientists to ensure the powers that be don't scrap what few remaining monitoring efforts are still in progress. And The Japan News' editorial implores that country's government not to stop preventative measures after a ninth wave - which is striking particularly due to our abandonment of any pretense of identifying waves as they keep happening. 

- Meanwhile, Patrick Heuveline discusses how the COVID pandemic has only exacerbated the U.S.' disproportionate number of excess deaths compared to other similarly wealthy countries. And Harold Meyerson writes about the recent increase in lower-income earnings which the corporate sector is determined to squelch.

- Hayatullah Amanat reports on a new survey showing the large number of Canadians losing sleep and suffering adverse health effects from financial worries. And Vanessa Balintec highlights why more needs to be done to ensure that people aren't trapped in precarious work without rights or recourse against abusive corporations. 

- Finally, Bill McKibben argues that a wave of unprecedented heat should confirm that we can't afford to put off urgent climate policy. But while Natasha Bulowski reports on research showing that the same oil industry which is determined to keep spewing carbon pollution could afford to clean up its messes, Markham Hislop calls out its unconscionable refusal to do anything but force the public to pick up the tab. 

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Claire Pomeroy writes that the establishment's refusal to stop the transmission of COVID-19 has created a desperate need to account for the widespread disability it's causing. But Brody Langager reports that in Saskatchewan, a non-profit's website is instead serving as the closest patients have to a central source of information as the Moe government continues not to care about public health.

- Carol Hughes makes the case for a windfall tax on grocery profits which have been extracted by self-serving oligarchs under the false cover of claimed inflation. And D.T. Cochrane notes that the Competition Bureau's recent report only strengthens the argument.

- Sheila Block and Grace-Edward Galabuzi highlight how shifts in Ontario's workforce have exacerbated racial inequalities.

- Erika Shaker calls out the dog-whistle of "parental choice" as an excuse to reinforce inequalities of privilege and power. And Noah Fry warns that Blaine Higgs is using a bland public image to divert attention from an anti-social agenda no less extreme than that of Danielle Smith.

- Finally, Luke Savage discusses how Toronto's election of Olivia Chow as mayor provided a needed rebuke to the austerian corporate forces which had previously dominated the city.

Musical interlude

Ten Sharp - You

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Emma Goldberg et al. study how the end of COVID-19 protections in China predictably gave rise to a swift and extensive outbreak. And Michelle Gamage reports on the push to ensure kids in British Columbia schools aren't avoidably exposed this fall, while Mark Lieberman discusses the reality that schools are among the many workplaces still reeling from the lasting effects of long COVID on workers. 

- Sascha Pare and Carolyn Gramling each report on the unprecedented melting of Antarctic sea ice among the ubiquitous indicators of a climate breakdown in process. And Stacey Priestley, Andy Baker and Pauline Treble write about the exhaustion of western Australian groundwater as a product of climate change. 

- Gamage also reports on updates to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act - while noting that it still falls short of addressing the long-term effects of historical pollution and environmental racism. 

- Oliver Milman exposes the "double agent" lobbyists who are simultaneously representing the carbon pollution industry and clients seeking to claim to be climate-friendly.

- Finally, Denis Campbell discusses how the UK Cons have locked the National Health Service into a death spiral of eroding care due to their hostility toward public employees - and the parallels to most Canadian provinces are painfully obvious. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jessica Wong et al. study the risk of hospitalization and death from  the Omicron strain of COVID-19, and conclude (contrary to the spin of denialist governments) that it was just as severe as the original version. And Lindsey Wang et al. find (PDF) that prior COVID infection can be traced to more severe respiratory infections among children in 2022. 

- Meanwhile, Alexander Rabin and Lisa Patel point out how children are particularly susceptible to damage from wildfire smoke. And Carly Weeks examines how inadequate pediatric care can have long-term consequences for any child whose health isn't treated as worth prioritizing. 

- Lydia DePillis comments that contrary to the spin of fossil fuel shills and science denialists, a climate breakdown has severe consequences for Canada. David Shearman discusses the climate grief we can expect as the breakdown becomes more obvious and less avoidable. And Madeleine Cuff writes about the consecutive days of record-breaking global heat this week.  

- Carl Meyer reports that the tar sands operators who have been trying to put on a veneer of interest in climate solutions have in fact been lobbying to tear them down at every opportunity. 

- Finally, Emily Leedham exposes the connections between socon groups seeking to take both the U.S. and Canada back to the dark ages. And Susan Delacourt rightly points out that the real threat of foreign interference comes from the Cons' U.S. puppet-masters looking to impose bigotry and theocracy in Canada. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cats into everything.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Jerry White discusses how the wealthiest few have continued to amass obscene riches in the first half of 2023 despite occasional rumblings about requiring them to contribute to the common good. 

- Paul Fauteux points out that fossil fuel pushers have used trade agreements to block measures to subordinate any attempt to combat climate change to their insistence on using the atmosphere as a carbon dumping ground in the name of extracting profits. AFP reports on research showing that the growing list of risks underestimated in current climate assumptions includes the potential for severe and widespread harvest failures. And Adam McKay highlights the reasons not to let minimizers and denialists claim that the appropriate response to existential risk is to calm down and keep up the status quo. 

- Jim Mandeville discusses the widespread support among Canadians for communities which are more resilient to climate risks. And Henry Grabar points out that communities built around people rather than cars and suburbs produce both an improved local standard of living and a lower carbon footprint. 

- Ned Carter Miles reports on the accidental discovery of a process to generate electricity from humidity in the air. 

- Finally, Ashna Hurynag reports on the British Medical Association's recognition that a large number of doctors are unable to carry their normal workloads due to the lingering effects of long COVID. Which naturally means the UK Con government is laser-focused on ensuring that migrant children don't have a single moment of joy while being treated as chattel. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Seth Borenstein writes that we shouldn't treat constant wildfires as an exceptional event since we can expect them to be the norm for decades to come. The Straits Times reports that the wildfires are both a consequence and cause of climate disaster, as they're spewing higher amounts of carbon pollution than ever recorded. And Matthew Rosza writes that there's no end in sight to either the fires, or the smoke they're spreading across the continent.

- Meanwhile, Andreas Sieber points out that it's readily possible to finance a just transition by charging fossil fuel magnates a fraction of the costs they're imposing on the planet. But Jody MacPherson discusses how Danielle Smith's UCP continues to want to exacerbate the damage of carbon pollution - and avoid any move to a cleaner or more sustainable economy - for as long as possible. 

- Pete Evans reports on the findings of Canada's Competition Bureau that the grocery industry is indeed made up of a small number of corporations with inordinate power to fix prices and extract profits - however obvious that already seemed to everybody whose paycheque doesn't depend on pretending otherwise.

- Finally, Rupert Neate reports on the warning from Patriotic Millionaires UK to uber-wealthy people at an investment conference that their extraction of riches is destabilizing society at large - though I wouldn't hold out much hope the result will be anything other than an increase in the amount of money spent trying to distance the rich from the rest of us.

Musical interlude

Manuel Riva feat. Misha Miller - Wild Young Heart

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Richard Murphy points out the stark contrast between the UK Cons' attempt to pretend that the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and the tens of thousands of excess deaths still resulting from it. Mary Van Beusekom discusses a new study showing that Ontario's infection levels were likely 19 times higher than reported at the peak of the Omicron wave. And Kai Kupferschmidt interviews new WHO chief scientist Jeremy Farrar about the multiple global public health challenges which demand action (even if governments prefer to ignore and minimize them). 

- Alex Himelfarb warns against prematurely declaring the death of neoliberalism when it still serves as the default ideology underlying our society despite its unpopularity. And Brooke Kruger reports on the Saskatoon Food Bank's observation that people are increasingly reliant on it to ensure a source of food (even as Scott Moe continues to pretend that everyone's doing just fine). 

- Niels-Jakob Hansen, Frederik Toscani and Jing Zhou discuss how corporate profiteering is the main driver of ongoing inflation in Europe. And Isaac Callan and Colin D'Mello report on the flood of corporate lobbying as businesses look to take over health care services in Ontario. 

- Robin McKie discusses Bill McGuire's conclusion that we're past the point of averting some level of climate breakdown - though it's still vital to do what we can to reverse the damage. And Moran Cerf, Sandra Matz and Malcolm MacIver find that people who participate in prediction markets (and thus have a reason to pay close attention to climate issues) are more concerned about the climate. But Carbon Brief reports on the Climate Change Committee's recognition that the UK government is falling ever further behind its climate commitments, while Reuters reports on CDP's research showing the same to be predictably true for fossil fuel giants. And Taylor Noakes offers a reminder that hydrogen fuels and carbon capture and storage serve more as delay tactics for carbon polluters than as remotely useful solutions. 

- Finally, Kelly Kimball discusses how existing wildfire models are being overtaken by the reality of far more severe fires. And news.com.au reports on the immense tracts of tropical forest being lost both to fire and to deforestation.  

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Jessica Wildfire writes about the desperation to return to some past normal (stoked of course by the people who profit from it) which is leading far too many to take obviously reckless risks with their health in the midst of a pandemic. And Kevin Jiang points out that it isn't only people's lungs being harmed by wildfire smoke, as "smoke brain" is also resulting in devastating health impacts. 

- John Timmer discusses the contradiction between the U.S. public's general desire for action to avert a climate breakdown, and its disapproval of many of the steps needed to get there. And Ryan Cooper points out that the car culture which dominates development patterns in the U.S. and Canada can only be seen as a death cult. 

- Matt Stoller and David Dayen comment on the urgent need to move past neoliberalism as its harm to the bulk of the population becomes inescapable. And Chris capper Liebenthal writes that the destruction of the Titan submersible (and the deaths of its occupants) can be traced entirely to laissez-faire capitalism run amok. 

- Finally, Phil Paine discusses how an educated and active populace is vital to democratic governance. Which should mean it's little surprise that the right is pushing to expand the use of child labour - both to undermine the bargaining power of workers, and to reduce the prospect that citizens will be sufficiently informed and engaged to exercise their franchise effectively. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Michael Marshall discusses the growing body of knowledge about the persistence of long COVID - with people still suffering symptoms after a year tending to suffer from it as a chronic condition thereafter, and no effective treatment available once long COVID sets in. And the UN points out new research indicating that 36 million people in Europe alone may have experienced long COVID, while Erin Durkin writes about the choice of New York (and many other jurisdictions) to effectively abandon the patients suffering from it.  

- Jing-Xin Li et al. find that a nasal vaccine is both safe and effective to boost COVID immunity. And Richa Naidu reports on the potential for air sanitizing spray to offer some defence against airborne pathogens - though as others have pointed out, that shouldn't be taken as an excuse for failing to work on improved ventilation and other air safety improvements. 

- Fabio Falchi and Salvador Bara study how light pollution has been continually worsening over the past dozen years.

- Jillian Ambrose reports on the Energy Institute's analysis showing that carbon pollution from fossil fuels continues to rise. Emily Wilmsen discusses the reality that even if we achieve a "net zero" emissions target, we'd still see temperatures continue to rise for a decade or more due to the damage already done to our planet. 

- Stefan Labbé reports on the grim reality that Canada has already experienced its worst year for wildfires in recorded history before the normal wildfire season even begins, while Drew Anderson examines the multiple causes of the fires. And Natasha White and Zahra Hirji report on the damage the fires have done to one British Columbia carbon offset project, wiping out what's supposed to be work to reverse the damage from carbon emissions and replacing it with further harm. 

- Clive Thompson notes that subsidizing e-bikes has proven to be a popular and effective way to rein in at least one source of greenhouse gas emissions. And Gaurab Basu and Jonathan Jay point out that "greening" efforts for cities also have the benefit of helping to remediate existing inequalities. 

- Finally, John Michael McGrath offers best wishes to Olivia Chow in winning Toronto's mayoralty - but also a warning that she may be pushed off a glass cliff due to the wreckage left behind by JOhn Tory and his Con co-conspirators. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Sociable cats.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Henrietta Cook reports on new data as to the number of people dying in hospitals as a result of the spread of COVID-19, while Adam Rowe reports on the CDC's recognition that COVID's human toll is paired with serious economic damage. And Sophie Rosenblum and Michael Bailey ask why we haven't even applied the pandemic's obvious lessons about the importance of air filtration in schools. 

- Meanwhile, Emily Baumgaertner explores how noise exposure can cause substantial harm to public health. And Chris Hatch discusses how oil barons have effectively trapped humanity in a hot car - even as they continue to demand ritual shows of fealty to their power to endanger us all. 

- Niigaan Sinclair discusses the high cost of austerity in the PCs' Manitoba. And Michael Marmot points out the outright decline in child height and other measures of public health and development to demonstrate the wide-ranging effects of austerity in the UK. 

- Steve Morgan and Nav Persaud make the case for a publicly-funded essential medicines program to make needed medications both freely available and less expensive. 

- Finally, Joseph Stiglitz and Tommaso Faccio write about the much-needed steps by some countries to take minimum corporate tax levels into their own hands as a compromised global process appears to have stalled. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- John Dearing, Gregory Cooper and Simon Willcock discuss the doom loop which is seeing worse-than-predicted effects of the climate breakdown resulting in vicious cycles of ecosystem collapse. J. Besl writes about new research showing that coastal flooding may be faster and more severe than anticipated due to inaccurate measurements of coastlines. And Jan Olsen reports on the warning from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control that mosquito-borne diseases will become more prevalent as the planet warms. 

- Meanwhile, Inayat Singh reports on the Canada Energy Regulator's conclusion that fossil fuel expansion is incompatible with any effort to meet existing climate commitments. 

- Luke LeBrun and Mitchell Thompson expose how the Con-connected Civitas invited well-known bigots to attack trans people at a secret conference session. And Moira Donegan discusses how women in the U.S. are suffering as a result of social conservatives getting their way in stripping away reproductive rights. 

- Finally, Cory Doctorow's York University commencement speech emphasized the need to reject the establishment admonition that there is no alternative, and instead work on building something better than what serves its entrenched interests. 

Musical interlude

Elderbrook - Talking

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Steve Turton writes about the dangers of global temperatures which were far exceeding recorded highs even before the start of an El Nino cycle. And Denise Chow reports on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's warning that a spike in ocean temperature will likely linger through most of 2023 at least. 

- Laurie Parsons points out how heat waves and other extreme weather events exacerbate existing inequalities. Paul Brown discusses how urban microclimates can exacerbate dangerous temperatures and winds, while Blaine Friedlander reports on new research showing how wildfire smoke endangers the health and lives of people downwind. And Neha Wadekar highlights how women in particular bear a disproportionate share of the costs and burdens of a climate breakdown.  

- Nigaan Sinclair and Sean Carleton write about the residential school denialism industry (with the full participation of the racist right) which is constantly on the lookout to undermine any recognition and acknowledgment of a genocidal legacy. 

- Finally, Fahad Razak and Angela Cheung discuss the desperate need for Canada to develop a long-COVID strategy - even as the ongoing mass infection giving rise to a steady stream of cases is being systematically ignored. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner discuss how even crucial advances like vaccines are under threat due to the ruthlessly persistent anti-science message being used to excuse continuing disregard for human health. And Jonathan Watts reports on new research showing that we're reaching dangerous climate tipping points faster than previously predicted as the cumulative impact of multiple factors alters our living environment beyond recognition. 

- Umair Haque discusses why we're continuing to stoke an addiction to fossil fuels even as we're experiencing the direct effects of a climate breakdown. But Dharna Noor reports on the prominent role of dirty energy money in fighting against any prospect that corporations could even be permitted to consider environmental or social factors in making decisions.

- Meanwhile, in advance of the COP28 climate conference, leaders from around the world have agreed to statements on the importance of an equitable green transition and a financial architecture which properly accounts for climate costs and risks. But it remains to be seen whether that theoretical recognition will be translated into any action - or whether oil barons will be allowed to dictate the terms of engagement yet again. 

- Matthew Taylor reports on new research showing that most people will be just as well off if we recognize that fossil fuel assets will eventually be stranded - meaning that those fighting to ensure they're exploited are doing so solely for the benefit of their already-wealthy cronies. 

- Kartikay Mehrotra and A.C. Thompson expose how lobbyists from the trucking industry have kept pedestrians and cyclists at increased risk by fighting regulations to mandate the use of side guards - with the assistance of regulators who stifled a recommendation that they be required. 

- Ellis Simani and Robert Faturechi report on the convenient timing that's seen executives and insiders clean up in trading U.S. biotech and health care stocks. 

- Finally, Iglika Ivanova and Jim Stanford discuss how British Columbia (and other jurisdictions) can better protect gig workers from corporations whose sole business plan is to evade worker protections and rights.